Crime, Mysteries & Thrillers discussion

Do you have an ideal chapter length? If a chapter goes on too long are you tempted to put a book down?

For me, as a general rule, anything longer than twenty pages and I get a bit antsy. I like shirt, pithy chapters too.

I agree, Leigh. I like short, pithy chapters, too. By the same token, if a chapter or scene is well-written, I don't even notice how long it is.

In my own writing, I try to keep my chapters generally in the 6 - 10 page range.

I don't mind longer chapters as long as the scenes are broken up almost chapter wise. Short chapters are good too, as long as it doesn't get obnoxious with chapter cliffhangers

I read a book last year-- as usual can't remember the title-- and it had a chapter that was sixty-odd pages long. The entire times i was reading it, I kept thinking, "Is this chapter over yet?"

Can you put down a book before you finish a chapter or do you have to stop at the end of a chapter?

I really don't notice the length of a chapter at all. It is probably because I tend to pick up and put down books all the times. On book did annoy me thought where there should have been breaks with viewpoints shifts and there weren't . It was very confusing and quite the distraction. 13 Steps Down did this. Arrgghh

It is also a little mind exercise I do where I will put a book down for a couple weeks and pick it back up and remember all aspects of the book. LOL

Can you put down a book before you finish a chapter or do you have to stop at the end of a chapter?

I read to the end of a chapter when I know I won't be coming back to the book for a length of time (overnight, say) but if I'm just stopping because I need/want to do something else for a time, I'll stop wherever I am. I do, however, prefer to do it at a transition point - characters moving from outdoors to indoors for example.

I really don't notice the length of the chapter at all.

I like shorter chapters because it makes it easier for me to put the book down if I have to take care of something. I don't like stopping in the middle of a chapter.

James Patterson does it the best. Anything shorter and I'd toss it. Anything longer and I get bogged down.

The length of chapters are not really important to me. Although, as someone mentioned a 60 page chapter, that would be a bit long.

I usually read for about 50 pages, or 3 chapters, at a time. Don't like to stop in the middle of a chapter, but, sometimes, as I read before going to sleep, it becomes necessary. I sometimes reach the point where I'm so sleepy that if I read more, I know I won't retain it. At that point, I'll check to see how much is left in a chapter. Anything less than 6-8 pages and I'll finish the chapter. Or, at least, try to. Anything longer and I'll call it a night and stop reading.

for me its all depending on the book. If I feel the book is really interesting and the flow of the story is good, I won't mind reading long chapters. If I find the book to be a bit tedious at times, I would prefer if the chapters were a bit shorter.

Also, I would prefer chapter divisions when POV's change.

Bluemoon wrote: "for me its all depending on the book. If I feel the book is really interesting and the flow of the story is good, I won't mind reading long chapters. If I find the book to be a bit tedious at times..."

Yes!! New chapters when the POV changes is better than shifting from paragraph to paragraph.

Chapter length for me depends upon the character(s) and what they're doing (saying) within the chapter. Once all of the character(s) dialogue is complete, so is the chapter...regardless of the page length.

For me it just depends on the book. Some chapters can seem extremely long if the author is just rambling. If something is keeping my interest then I dont mind.

I usually like to stop at a chapter. If for some reason I can't then I stop at a paragrah where noone is talking at the beginning of it.

I definitely prefer short chapters. Trouble is with short chapters I always tell myself I can read "one more" before I go to bed and too often end up staying up until the book is finished!

Joyce wrote: "I definitely prefer short chapters. Trouble is with short chapters I always tell myself I can read "one more" before I go to bed and too often end up staying up until the book is finished!"

I have to say, I think this is true for me too. If the chapters are shorter I tend to read more in one sitting. I didn't even think about it until you said it.

When doing research for a novel, I read a lot of nonfiction books. Most of their chapters go 20 - 30 or more pages and that becomes a real slog. In both fiction and nonfiction, I like chapters of no more than 5 - 6 pages. That is enough to cover a subject or scene, especially considering the old saying, "I would have written you a shorter letter if I'd had the time."

I definitely prefer shorter chapters, too.

Joyce wrote: "I definitely prefer short chapters. Trouble is with short chapters I always tell myself I can read "one more" before I go to bed and too often end up staying up until the book is finished!"

I agree - short chapters actually encourage you to read more, especially if they end on a strong hook.

Just don't get how the length of chapters affect one's opinion of a book.

Now, if I read something like War and Peace, which comes in at 1392 pages and it only had about 6 chapters, then I might notice. But, if it had what I've seen people put up as a "standard" chapter length of 5-6 pages, then War and Peace should have between 230-280 chapters.

Robert B. Parker seems to favor shorter chapters. I've seen him use 1 page to a chapter. While, Michael Connelly, tends to longer chapters. Both are favorites of mine. Irrespective of chapter length.

Just seems to me that there are more important criteria to a good book that how long it's chapters are. Within some limits, I suppose, though.

Chapter length alone, Ron, doesn't stop me from reading a book. I just prefer shorter ones.

Because I don't read for hours at a time, but in 5 - 10 minute chunks, and I prefer to stop reading at a chapter or scene end, shorter ones work better for me.

Of course there are more important criteria for choosing a book. Chapter length doesn't stop me from reading a book.

That being said, I like shorter chapters. If chapters are shorter I tend to read more in one sitting (as someone else said above). There is no ideal chapter length I just have a preference.


I wonder if the shortening of attention spans will have publishers encouraging authors to write shorter chapters.

Quillracer wrote: "Chapter length alone, Ron, doesn't stop me from reading a book. I just prefer shorter ones.

Because I don't read for hours at a time, but in 5 - 10 minute chunks, and I prefer to stop reading at ..."

YES to all of this.
:-)

When I have to stop in the middle of a chapter, I usually have to go back a page to figure out what was going on and who was speaking so work at home and get interrupted as often as I do, short chapters are nice, but no, longer chapters don't stop me from reading something by an author that I like.

Joyce I too., have to do likewise as, I'm just about finished with Fern Michaels "Sistehood series" looong but interesting as it is a little of eveything

RV Raman wrote: "As long as there are scene breaks, chapter breaks don't matter so much."

I agree. It's having a place to pause which can be useful. To draw breath, even, if the pace is beginning to ratchet up towards the end!

I enjoy books with shorter chapters because I consistently get caught up in the "just one more" mentality. When they're really long, that can make me get antsy and rush.

Doesnt bother me.

Sometimes really short chapters --- I've seen them half a page---annoy me. I never put a book down for too long, so I come to a natural (for me) stopping place in lengthy chapters and pick up the story from there if for some reason I can't finish the chapter. What I hate are final chapters….when I want the story to continue!

When I'm writing, I try to target ~2000 words/chapter (of course, this is a very loose target). I find that reading really short chapters is annoying; conversely, books like the Outlander series with chapters that go on forever and contain multiple POVs drive me nuts.

Right on, Phyllis!

I prefer shorter chapters, but longer chapters that are broken up are OK too.

Alice wrote: "2000-2500 is a good length for a chapter."

Especially if you're into counting words. For the rest of us, just how long would that make them?

I don't really notice chapter length

I write eleven page chapters on average. Chapters after the first one tend to be longer at the beginning and shorter towards the end.

Ron wrote: "Alice wrote: "2000-2500 is a good length for a chapter."

Especially if you're into counting words. For the rest of us, just how long would that make them?"

I think it would be about 6-8 pages.

Gail asked:What I want to know is what readers think of different length chapters where the length of the chapter is not predictable?

I have no problem with different chapter lengths even if they vary within a book, don't even really pay any attention to it. The only time I notice it is when a chapter (or scene) seems to drag on and on and on without actually moving the story forward.

I tend to read by scenes anyway. Whether it be a scene within a chapter or a chapter that is a whole scene, I read to that 'break' in the book then stop.

But I also cheat by reading the first line or two of the next chapter/scene before I put the book down.

Quillracer wrote: "Gail asked:What I want to know is what readers think of different length chapters where the length of the chapter is not predictable?

I have no problem with different chapter lengths even if they ..."

I agree, Quillracer. If the action is moving you along and the chapter breaks make sense (like the end of a scene), I'm not bothered by the length. And I do find myself reading the next line or two of the next chapter!

I definitely prefer short chapters. Transitioning from one chapter to the next is not difficult for me. I do read books with long chapters but really prefer short. chapters

I like the shorter chapters because there are more stopping points. A lot of times I keep my book in my car and will read some if I get places early and have a few extra minutes. With shorter chapters, this makes it easy to get to a quick stopping point.

I will read longer chapter books though, too. Sometimes I just have to find a good stopping point at the top of a page.

I prefer shorter chapters. But it depends how long a long chapter is. If it's more than 5/6 pages then I find that too long.

As long as the author has breaks, like, scene changes, I'm good with whatever length chapter they want to use. Just a couple blank lines between "scenes", for lack of a better word.

I much prefer short chapters. James Patterson-style chapters are great, although the temptation to read "just one more" will always get to me, even in the early hours of the morning. Like others, I hate to stop reading in the middle of a chapter.

As a writer, I also got different feeback on chapter length at different points in the book. Beta readers at first said chapters were too long, but once they got into the story, they said they were too short, even though they were the same length!

I guess it just goes to show that when you really get into a book, you crave more, and things like chapter length stop mattering so much.

I agree

It doesn't matter to me how long the chapters are in a book as I am going to read the book no matter what anyway. Whether it is five chapters or 30 chapters I figure I am going to have to get through the book one way or another. lol :)

I don't get too wrapped up in chapter length. But, it is nice to have chapters short enough that I can read for just a few minutes and not have to stop in the middle of a chapter. Don't know how much length I prefer, but, something between about 15-25 pages seems about right. Of course, if they're shorter, I can read a couple of chapters in a short time.

I don't consider chapter length when choosing a book. As long as there are appropriate scene breaks there will be plenty of places to stop. If I could dictate the length I would choose 10-20 pages. Shorter than that can become too choppy - much longer and you begin to wonder when it will end.

I agree. I write that way as well. It helps to move the plot along nicely.

Chapter lengths don't bother me too much but as others have said I dont like having to stop half way through a chapter so I sometimes check to see how long one is before I start it.